Thursday COVID update gives Louisiana 1% positivity rate

The state of Louisiana's COVID progress reached a new level in today's update with a one-day positivity rate of just greater than 1%.

The state reported 779 new COVID cases today, bringing the state's confirmed COVID case count to 368,218 since the start of the pandemic.

But the biggest piece of good news in today's update comes with positivity. The state's percent positive rate today is 1.3% with the 779 new cases and 55,753 processed tests.

A 1.3% positive rate is far lower than the state has seen in recent weeks. In the peak of the third wave, our positivity for the state was once 13+% for a week. To now be this far below 5% is a clear sign of a reversal in momentum.

The state reports 33 new COVID deaths today, bringing Louisiana's confirmed COVID death total to 8,885. 

For Lafourche, there is 1 new confirmed COVID case today, bringing the parish's confirmed case count from 6,976 to 6,977. 

The parish's % positive today is 2.1%. 

As positivity drops, so too do our state's virus hospitalizations.

The state reports 679 COVID hospitalizations today, down from 687 reported yesterday.

Our state's virus hospitalizations have sunken drastically in recent days as more citizens have received their vaccinations.

At the peak of the third wave, COVID hospitalizations surged to near 2,100 to our peak levels around the state. Today, our numbers are as low as they've been since early November. 

The state has 100 COVID patients on ventilators today, down from 102 yesterday. That number, too, continues to drop.

At the peak of the third wave, COVID patients on ventilators soared near 250. 

In Region 3, COVID hospitalizations rose from 28 to 32 overnight, and patients on ventilators in the region stayed flat at 5 for the fourth-straight day.